A WDW Vet's Thoughts on First Ever DL Visit

[Kristina4109]

The Sonoma Chicken and Apple Salad in a Sourdough Bowl at Pacific Wharf Cafe is jus amazing. And there is some little tiny place in Frontierland where you can get grilled salmon salad. It's almost like the parks are dotted with little Columbia Harbour Houses!

 

[Judy from Boise]

Did you ride Monsters Inc? I am always puzzled why that ride get so little luv.........I think it is great.

 

[DahliaRW]

My Biggest Surprise -- I realize this is going to be sacrilegious to you DL-lovers, but I found Disney's California Adventure to be a more beautiful park than DL. (I'm ready for the stones to be thrown.) I thought from the Buena Vista Street entrance to the Redwood Forest area to Paradise Pier to (a lesser extent) Bug's Land to (especially) Cars Land, I found each area of the park gloriously detailed and unique unto themselves. Of course, Cars Land is fantastic. I despise the movie Cars, but I found the land the best in any theme park I've ever been in (I've yet to see Harry Potter world at Universal).

The most beautiful and incredibly themed park is, IMO, Tokyo Disney Sea. Beats DCA, DL, all 4 WDW parks, Universal IOA, etc. You have to go if you ever get a chance, but avoid weekends and holidays like the plague.

 

[DahliaRW]

It's interesting to read different perspectives. I am a Californian who grew up going to DL. I've also been to WDW several times. My husband and I both remarked recently about how much friendlier we find the CMs at disneyland! During our recent trip to WDW there were many CMs who obviously did not want to be there but we have never had a negative encounter at DL! I remember thinking on my first trip to WdW that they were not nearly as friendly.

This was our experience too. It also was a much more dirty place than my experiences at DLR and the Tokyo parks. Some of the bathrooms were downright nasty, I was shocked! We may have just caught WDW at an "off" time for cleanliness, who knows. But Universal was pristine, and while I'd choose MK over Universal, I'd choose Universal over the other 3 parks at wdw.

 

[HydroGuy]

The most beautiful and incredibly themed park is, IMO, Tokyo Disney Sea. Beats DCA, DL, all 4 WDW parks, Universal IOA, etc. You have to go if you ever get a chance, but avoid weekends and holidays like the plague.

I agree. TDS is a feast for the eyes. Absolutely immaculate. Incredible theming.

 

[DahliaRW]

I agree. TDS is a feast for the eyes. Absolutely immaculate. Incredible theming.

It's the one theme park I could go to and care less if I even get on a ride! I spent a good 90 minutes just walking around the park by myself taking it in (would have spent more, but had to get back to dh and the kids!)

 

[sleepydog25]

Having just returned tonight from a 4-day trip to DL, I've enjoyed reading the pros and cons for both the original Land and the younger brother, the World. We're WDW vets, but I spent four years in SoCal a couple of decades ago and have very fond memories of my visits there. On the other hand, my wife had never been (this was a surprise trip), so all the experiences there were new for her. Rather than go into full detail about what we loved (and didn't), I'll tailor my comments to the things that stood out the most and that appear to have the most bearing on the current discussion.

RIDES
- We judged some better than their counterparts at WDW such as Space Mtn (way smoother and the music--ahhh, yes!); POC (longer, more detailed, and the volume contrast was better--could actually hear the characters); BTMR (again smoother and the queue we enjoyed more); Samll World (just way cooler and the building is comparatively gorgeous); and my wife liked California Screamin' better than RnRC (I found it too close to call).
- We enjoyed all the FL rides that you can't find at WDW, most especially Storybook Land.
- On the other hand, some WDW attractions we find superior: Haunted Mansion, ToT, TSM, Buzz, and Star Tours.

FOOD
This is a tough one to call, but we'd give the edge for CS to DL and the edge to TS to WDW. We were quite impressed with the quality of the salads at DL/DCA, as well as some of the other dishes we tried. For example, the tostada salad at Rancho del Zocalo was head and shoulders better than anything we can find, say, at Pecos Bill. Conversely, while we didn't have a horrible TS meal the past few days, we did experience less than stellar service and food at two of our four TS meals. One of the other two meals was a push (good food but hurried service), while our last meal was undeniably excellent (Napa Rose ).

SERVICE/EXPERIENCE
- It's obvious that basing CM service and friendliness depends on a variety of factors, so our views aren't any more important than the next person's. In general, we found the CM service at DL to be good, at times wonderful, but no better than we usually find at WDW. In fact, we felt the CM service at DL to be a bit by-the-numbers, rote, dialed back. We didn't run across any particularly grumpy CMs, either, but many seemed to be reserved. I don't point out this aspect in a negative manner, just that the DL/DCA CM demeanor--as a whole--was muted. This was merely an observation that we found intriguing.
- As for the whole line-cutting issue, we too noticed that it seemed out of hand in both DL and DCA. Outside of a handful of times where the lines and wait times were short, we didn't experience a single ride where someone didn't walk up the line toward the front (or cut in line) to join other family members who were "holding" their place(s). Most of those "holds" were for 4-5 people and twice they were for 7-8 people. Perhaps it's a result of just a different attitude regarding the issue, or perhaps it's a definition contrast--holding a spot for a spouse and/or child who had to go to the bathroom is one thing, but basing your ride strategy on half your group doing BTMR then joining you for California Screamin' is a different matter. While such practice absolutely happens at WDW, its prevalence is considerably less.

Overall, we loved DL and DCA. We made some fantastic memories and took nearly three hours of video (and a couple of hundred pics). Riding Storybook Land again after 25 years was so emotionally fulfilling; getting my wife on the Matterhorn for the first time was a hoot (and the Abominable Snowmen work!); walking down the original Main Street was a thrill; riding California Screamin' three times in 20 minutes was a hoot; and being nearly front and center for WoC was amazing. Being at DL is a step back in time, and it feels less exploited, less commercialized--we enjoyed that aspect. At times, however, we missed the buzz and excitement that often fills our days at WDW. DL is sedate--WDW not so much. . .and both of those feelings are great to explore. Honestly, anyone who loves Disney owes it to him or herself to visit both parks at least once to enjoy the beauty and the magic each has to offer.

 

[HydroGuy]

Having just returned tonight from a 4-day trip to DL, I've enjoyed reading the pros and cons for both the original Land and the younger brother, the World. We're WDW vets, but I spent four years in SoCal a couple of decades ago and have very fond memories of my visits there. On the other hand, my wife had never been (this was a surprise trip), so all the experiences there were new for her. Rather than go into full detail about what we loved (and didn't), I'll tailor my comments to the things that stood out the most and that appear to have the most bearing on the current discussion.

RIDES
- We judged some better than their counterparts at WDW such as Space Mtn (way smoother and the music--ahhh, yes!); POC (longer, more detailed, and the volume contrast was better--could actually hear the characters); BTMR (again smoother and the queue we enjoyed more); Samll World (just way cooler and the building is comparatively gorgeous); and my wife liked California Screamin' better than RnRC (I found it too close to call).
- We enjoyed all the FL rides that you can't find at WDW, most especially Storybook Land.
- On the other hand, some WDW attractions we find superior: Haunted Mansion, ToT, TSM, Buzz, and Star Tours.

FOOD
This is a tough one to call, but we'd give the edge for CS to DL and the edge to TS to WDW. We were quite impressed with the quality of the salads at DL/DCA, as well as some of the other dishes we tried. For example, the tostada salad at Rancho del Zocalo was head and shoulders better than anything we can find, say, at Pecos Bill. Conversely, while we didn't have a horrible TS meal the past few days, we did experience less than stellar service and food at two of our four TS meals. One of the other two meals was a push (good food but hurried service), while our last meal was undeniably excellent (Napa Rose ).

SERVICE/EXPERIENCE
- It's obvious that basing CM service and friendliness depends on a variety of factors, so our views aren't any more important than the next person's. In general, we found the CM service at DL to be good, at times wonderful, but no better than we usually find at WDW. In fact, we felt the CM service at DL to be a bit by-the-numbers, rote, dialed back. We didn't run across any particularly grumpy CMs, either, but many seemed to be reserved. I don't point out this aspect in a negative manner, just that the DL/DCA CM demeanor--as a whole--was muted. This was merely an observation that we found intriguing.
- As for the whole line-cutting issue, we too noticed that it seemed out of hand in both DL and DCA. Outside of a handful of times where the lines and wait times were short, we didn't experience a single ride where someone didn't walk up the line toward the front (or cut in line) to join other family members who were "holding" their place(s). Most of those "holds" were for 4-5 people and twice they were for 7-8 people. Perhaps it's a result of just a different attitude regarding the issue, or perhaps it's a definition contrast--holding a spot for a spouse and/or child who had to go to the bathroom is one thing, but basing your ride strategy on half your group doing BTMR then joining you for California Screamin' is a different matter. While such practice absolutely happens at WDW, its prevalence is considerably less.

Overall, we loved DL and DCA. We made some fantastic memories and took nearly three hours of video (and a couple of hundred pics). Riding Storybook Land again after 25 years was so emotionally fulfilling; getting my wife on the Matterhorn for the first time was a hoot (and the Abominable Snowmen work!); walking down the original Main Street was a thrill; riding California Screamin' three times in 20 minutes was a hoot; and being nearly front and center for WoC was amazing. Being at DL is a step back in time, and it feels less exploited, less commercialized--we enjoyed that aspect. At times, however, we missed the buzz and excitement that often fills our days at WDW. DL is sedate--WDW not so much. . .and both of those feelings are great to explore. Honestly, anyone who loves Disney owes it to him or herself to visit both parks at least once to enjoy the beauty and the magic each has to offer.

Excellent report. I agree with you completely about the food and CS vs TS. As for rides I agree except I would say Buzz is better at DL largely because of the hand held lasers.

CMs? I have never seen a big difference myself. They almost always seem really good at both places to me.

 

[sleepydog25]

Excellent report. I agree with you completely about the food and CS vs TS. As for rides I agree except I would say Buzz is better at DL largely because of the hand held lasers.

CMs? I have never seen a big difference myself. They almost always seem really good at both places to me.

I do agree that the handheld lasers are cooler and offers you more freedom; however, the ride seems shorter and less populated by aliens than at the World (I could be wrong), and you have to repeatedly push the trigger for separate shots at the DL version as opposed to just holding down the trigger and letting the laser continuously fire at WDW. It was a close call.